The world is a vampire
by Sleepy Ocean
Summary: Don't look. I don't want you to be afraid." He said."You can't scare me." I protested. He kissed my forehead softly."Promise?" he asked, and I nodded. He uncovered my eyes to reveal the moonlight illuminating his figure. He was covered in blood. Dark.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

Some quick things to know in this story. Edward is a child vampire, and Carlisle didn't turn him. This means no animal diet. Secondly, there will be mature themes in this and later chapters. If you want happy frou frou, I suggest hitting the 'rated K' button. Lastly the main theme of this story is the transition from childhood to adulthood. For most, it's forced upon us. Teaching children to be apathetic to their emotions is completely wrong in my opinion. You should get upset over people starving in Africa. You should be sad when someone is disseminated in you. You should get angry that people kill people with no regards. Yet society gives the lines 'don't worry about it' and tells kids not to cry. It's okay to feel. And Bella deals with that rough transition in this story.

**Please review if you think I should continue.**

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1.

The leaves were starting to dry up, and the smell of burning leaves filled the air of Forks. The school bus was full of chatter, and laughter of kids, everyone pushing to sit near that back. I , of course, sat in the front alone, awkwardly avoiding the eye contact of other kids. It was my first year of middle school, and I seemed to be the only one who didn't change over the summer. Everyone else had different hair styles, tighter clothes, or cooler personalities. I was the same old Bella, with the same plain wavy hair, and the same plain face. I was in my favorite sweater, an overly large sweater that looked like a lamb. The white material had the texture of their wool, and the hood even had two little ears attached to it. I had the hood pulled over my head, trying to hide my face from the other kids. But it didn't work, and never did.

"_Isabellaaa_."

I looked up to see Lauren staring at me, a big smile on her face. I frowned. Her clothes were tight, and she looked like a kid who gotten into her mom's makeup.

"You look like an idiot. Why are you wearing baby clothes?" she teased, her hands flicking at my hood. I blushed, and looked down. I hoped she would just go away, and leave me alone. She didn't. She sat next to me, and I looked up at her in surprise.

"Don't you have boobs yet Isabella?" she said, and put her hands on the little boobs she had.  
"No one is ever going to like you if you dress like a baby. Don't you want to be sexy?"

I blushed harder, and looked at my lap, trying to hide. Lauren huffed in aggravation, and glared at me.

"Why don't you fucking talk? " she growled, and I flinched.

"I have nothing to say." I whispered out quietly. It was the truth. Words were pointless. It was just a combination of sounds she wouldn't listen to anyway.

"You're a freak." she said, and got up, walking back to the end of the bus. The bus came to a halt, and I got up, dragging my heavy backpack. I could hear them laughing as I exited the bus, and they yelled something indistinguishable as the bus passed. My head hung low. I walked to my mom's house in silence, and found the door unlocked. Walking in slowly, I heard noises from something in the living room. I walked slowly to the edge of the room, and looked in to see my mom and another man.

She was laying with her head thrown back, her legs spread. The man was kissing her neck, one hand holding her head, and another lurking under her skirt. He was on top of her. Her make up was smudged, and neither of them noticed me. She was with another man on the couch where my dad use to sit with us. Where we use to laugh together. When we use to be happy. I wanted them to stop.

I threw my back pack down with a crash, and they both looked up to me in shock.

"Isabella!" my mom yelled in shock, and I ran before she could say anything else. I couldn't tell if I was trying to out run my embarrassment or the shame, but I ran faster than I ever ran in my life. The cold wind whipped my cheeks, and my lungs burned every time I took a breath. I must have ran 10 blocks before I collapsed at a small park I use to play at as a child. I was overwhelmed with emotions, and could feel tears fall down my cheek slowly. I picked up a stick, and walked to the monkey bars. Looking at a thick supporting bar, I swung the stick, and a small piece broke off the end. I swung over and over again, mumbling things under my breath, letting tears roll down my cheeks. I was angry. Angry that everything always went wrong for me. The pieces broke off the stick, slowly making it shorter and shorter. I wondered curiously if this was how my life was, and if soon there will be nothing left.

"What are you doing?" a velvet voice asked, though it wasn't asked mockingly. The voice held only curiosity.

I turned to see a pale, bronze haired boy staring at me. He looked really tired, with dark circles under his eyes. Dressed in only a t shirt and jeans, and looked about my age. But I had never seen this boy before, and he wasn't from the reservation.

"I..I'm upset." I said slowly, blushing in embarrassing. Great. Another person thought I was a freak. He stepped forward a couple steps, and looked at me deeply. I twitched uncomfortably, and then noticed his eye color. They were red. Blood red.

"Why are you eyes that color?" I breathed. He smiled a sad smile, and looked away.

"I don't want you to be upset." he said quietly, ignoring my question. I felt my brow furrow in confusion, and I looked at my feet. I felt tears start to come up, and I cursed myself for being so weak.

"Why do you care?" I whispered, taking a step back. I heard him move towards me, but before I could look up, I felt two stone arms wrap around me. I stood still as he hugged me into his chest. My heart was fluttering, and I blushed deeply, but not out of embarrassment. My head swam with an unknown euphoria.

"Because I want to be your friend." he whispered, and released me slowly, taking a few steps back.

"My friend? No one wants to be my friend" I replied in disbelief.

"I do. You're not like anyone else. You're interesting." he said, and smiled at me. He extended his hand.  
"My name is Edward."

I met his hand and shook it, feeling how icy cold his fingers were. He was probably freezing, as it was the middle of October.

"I'm Bella." our fingers separated, and he stepped back, looking the direction of the park's parking lot. Charlie was exiting his car, while calling my name. She would send _him_. I looked back to Edward, to ask if he wanted a ride home, to see he was gone. Charlie walked up next to me, and frowned. He looked where I was staring, but dismissed it when he saw nothing.

"Bella, why did you run from your mom? You almost gave her a heart attack." he said sternly, and I looked down at my feet. It was to hard to explain, and the effort wasn't worth it. I stayed silent. We walked back to his cruiser wordlessly, and he turned on the heat full blast when we got in. We started the drive home in silence, but he cleared his throat to speak.

"Bella...You know if you want to move in with me...You always can...I mean...If you wanted to...I'm just..I'm saying I'm here for you." he rumbled out, trying horribly to sound confident. He looked to me, and I nodded. We had a silent understanding. We pulled into the driveway of Renee's house, and I looked over to see Charlie exiting as well. He followed me to the front door, and I knocked, Renee opened the door, no longer in a skirt, and boobie shirt, but in a turtle neck and pants. She looked angrily at Charlie, but ushered both of us in.

I knew what was coming, so I ran up the stairs. I shut my door and looked around the childlishly pink room. They had painted it together when they found out Renee was pregnant with a girl.

Sure enough two minutes later, I heard Renee screeching, and Charlie trying to get her to be quiet. It was how their marriage had always went. Renee would complain scream and yell to get her way, and Charlie would give her whatever she wanted to get her to shut up. I walked to my bed, ignoring my homework, and didn't bother taking off my sweater. I pulled the covers up to my neck, and the hood over my face. I thought of Edward, and imagined how cold he must be, but sleep only found me when I imagined myself in his arms.

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I had slept too long. I felt groggy and gross as I woke up fully dressed. I changed clothes, and grabbed my back pack, seeing as I only had 10 minutes until I needed to be outside. I was out my bedroom door before I remembered Edward. Going through my drawer, I grabbed my lion sweater, and threw it in my backpack.

Renee was awake, and sitting in the kitchen when I came down, and frowned at me.

"You overreacted yesterday Bella. Not only did you hurt Phil's feelings, but you didn't have to get Charlie involved. I don't know what you said to him.." she vented.

"I didn't say anything to him." I said quietly, and she threw her fists on the table.

"_Obviously, you did._" she yelled, and I shut up quickly. She ran a hand through her hair, and glared at me. She had been drinking last night, her eyes were still glazed.  
"You just don't want me to be happy."

I frowned and looked at me feet.  
"I'm sorry." I said quietly, and she huffed.

I left without breakfast.

Lauren continued her teasing again, and she was waiting for me when I got on the bus. Mike sat next to her, giggling like an idiot, and every so often, pulling her into a kiss.

"You know, that's really gross when you wear the same sweater everyday. Can you not afford to do laundry?" she yelled, trying to draw attention to herself. Mike laughed. I lowered my head, and fiddled with my hands in my lap.

"Isabella, Isabella. Why don't you just take off your stupid sweater and grow up."

I closed my eyes, and leaned over myself. I just wanted her to leave me alone. She got up and sat next to me, and I sat up to look at her. She grabbed my back pack, and unzipped the zipper. She then proceeded to dump everything all over the ground. I felt my mouth fly open, and tears come to my eyes. I could hear all my pencils and markers roll all over the bus.

"Oooo. What's THIS!" she said, and grabbed the lion sweater from the ground. She held it up, and the bus erupted with laughter. I turned red, and tried to grab the sweater back, but with no luck.

"Give it back! That's for Edward, not you!" I screamed, but she just threw it to the back of the bus.

"Who's Edward? Your retard friend?" she laughed. I stood up to see people stepping on it, and wiping their feet on it. I cried out, and the bus came to a halt. We weren't at the school yet.

"What the HELL is going on back here." the bus driver bellowed, her large belly jiggling as she stood up. Everyone went quiet, and looked down.

"Isabella's backpack opened, and we were all just trying to help pick up the stuff. She was just yelling for everyone to help." Lauren lied flawlessly, and the bus driver looked to me for confirmation. I just looked away.

"I want everything picked up and returned to her backpack, and if I find _one thing_ on the floor, I will tell the teacher to take away your free period." she bellowed, and returned to her driver's seat.

I picked up my backpack, and kids began to file up with my things in their hands. Most of them didn't look me in the eye, only threw the stuff into my backpack. A few apologized quietly. Lauren just huffed while Mike glared.

We arrived at school and I still didn't have Edward's sweater returned. The kids all left the bus quickly, and I walked to the back of the bus to inspect the damage. The sweater had dirt all over it, making the yellow fabric dirty. The furry part of the mane on the hood was matted, and sticking together. There was a rip on the front as well, and I let out a small sob as I picked it up.

"Honey, I can't help me if you don't tell me what's going on." the bus driver said quietly. I didn't look her in the eyes.  
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

I shook my head no, and she let me off the bus. Unfortunately, there was the principal waiting for me, meaning they already knew about what happened. The principal lead me to the counselors office, where a man with blond hair was waiting to talk to me. I looked at him wearily, and sat down, looking at my feet.

"Hi. Bella. My name is Doctor Cullen." he said, and my head snapped up. His brow furrowed.  
"I'm sorry. Do you rather to be called Isabella?" I shook my head.

"No. It's just. Even though I ask, no one calls me Bella."I said quietly. He smiled at me, and leaned back in his chair.

"Do you want to tell me what happened on the bus?" he asked slowly. I looked back down to my feet, and saw him nod his head from the corner of his eye. He understood me.

"Bella, do you have a lot of friends?" he asked, and I shook my head. He looked at the ceiling for a second, and then rephrased his question.  
"Do you have any friends?"

I looked up at him, with my head slightly tilted. He looked too young to be volunteering as a school counselor.  
"I have one."

"Oh. What's her name?" he asked, smiling.

"His. His name is Edward." I said, looking around at the motivational posters that covered the walls.  
"He doesn't go to school here though."

"Does he go on the reservation?" he asked, leaning forward.

"No. I think he just moved here, or doesn't go to school. Maybe homeschool."

Carlisle ran his hand through his slicked back hair, and I frowned. I didn't want to get Edward in trouble, so I decided to take attention off him.

"My stuff didn't fall." I said quickly, and his head snapped out of whatever thoughts he was in.

"What happened then?"

"Lauren." I said softly, and he nodded. I twiddled my thumbs, and Carlisle wrote something down on a piece of paper. I opened my backpack and began to rearrange the items, so they won't so scattered. I quickly took out Edward's sweater and folded in, before stuffing it back in. When I looked up I noticed Carlisle starring at me. I blushed and looked down.

They let me go back to class during lunch, and the rest of the day went by with everyone ignoring me. I preferred that way to the latter, so I day dreamed, and let myself lose sense of time. When the final bell rang, I felt my heart flutter. I wanted to see Edward. I walked out the doors, but didn't go on the bus. The wrath of Lauren wasn't worth it, and the park was closer to the school than my house. I walked slowly, shivering as the wind picked up and blew around leaves. I arrived at the park to find it empty. My heart fell. I frowned at my own stupidity, for assuming he would be here. I ran my hands through my hair, and sat on the ground, pulling my knees to my chest. Lauren and Mike would get me tomorrow, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

The wind blew my hood down, and while pulling it up, I saw Edward watching me, from a distance. He was in the same clothes as yesterday, and his dark circles under his eyes looked even darker. I waved him over and he slowly walked to me, cocking his head to the side in curiosity.

"I brought you a gift." I said, and frowned remembering how dirty and damaged it was now. I pulled the tattered sweater from my bag, and he smiled, stepping closer to me.  
"It wasn't dirty before... but.. they took it from me and messed it up." I tried to explain. I felt like I had failed him.

He took the sweater from my arms, and pulled it on. It was big on him, just like mine, but he looked warmer in it. He smiled as he felt the material, but frowned at my statement,.

"Who took it from you?" he asked, and sat next to me. His leg was against mine...and he was really cold.

"This girl named Lauren, and boy named Mike.." I said, and bowed my head.  
"They always pick on me.. They dumped my back pack, and took it. Then everyone stepped on it." I felt some tears run down my cheeks, and I cursed myself for being weak. Two cold hands took a gentle hold on my face, and turned me to Edward. His red eyes, while still intimidating were full of pain.

"Bella. I won't let them do that to you anymore." he said, and he sounded so certain, I wanted to believe him. But he couldn't change them.

"How can you help? You don't go to my school." I said, and he lowered his hands from my face. One of his hands found mine, and squeezed it.

"If you ever need me, just yell my name. I'll come. No matter what." he said darkly, and I looked down at our cupped hands. Electricity flowed through the touch, and I wondered it this was how Lauren felt when she and Mike kissed.

"Edward, how old are you?" I asked softly. He tensed for a moment, and then looked away from me.

"Eleven."

I smiled. If he had went to school, we would be in the same grade.

"Where do you live?" I asked, realizing I knew nothing about him. He pointed simply to the woods, but wouldn't meet my eye.

"What's your favorite animal?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. He looked at me, and chuckled slightly. I immediately blushed, realizing how childish my question was and looked down. I was a loser.

"Bella, no." he said lightly, and I looked back at him. He was smiling an infectious smile.  
"I didn't have one before.. but I think now it's a lion."

We held hands, stared at the sky for another hour, barley saying anything before I decided to go home. He told me to be safe, and I told him to wear his sweater. I left the playground and made my way home, walking the ten blocks in a happy mood. I had a friend, a real friend. I didn't think anything could break my mood. I was wrong

"Hey retard." a voice screamed. I looked up to see Mike running to me. I froze, and he came right up to me and pushed me on the ground. I fell awkwardly and landed on my wrist, squeaking in pain. Mike didn't care. He looked mad. Really mad.

"You got Lauren suspended you stupid bitch." he yelled, and kicked my leg hard enough to bruise. I covered my face with my hands, expecting more blows, only to receive none. I looked up to see Mike frozen, his eyes big with fear. Then I heard what he was afraid of. There was a deep growling coming from the woods that bordered the sidewalk. Mike gave me one last glare before running off. The growling stopped, but whatever it was was coming towards me. I got up and ran home, my wrist throbbing in pain. Renee was cooking dinner when I came in, but when she saw my wrist she turned everything off and brought me to the emergency room. There was no dinner that night.

They told my mom it was severely sprained, and that a soft cast was necessary at all times but a shower. If it got any worse, they would have to get me a hard cast. I told her I had fell off he monkey bars. She believed me.

The painkillers the doctor gave me put me in a daze, and I finished my homework and went to bed with an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

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I woke up the next day to Renee stroking my hair softly..What?

"Mom..What-"

"You're lucky to be alive Isabella....They found the Newton boy, Mike? Yeah. Mike killed. Someone killed him, right on the way you walk home." she choked, obviously holding back tears.

I felt my stomach drop, and slammed my eyes closed.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: HI! I really hope you like this story. Lots of Edward this Chapter. Review if I should continue!

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2.

_"Mike Newton, just twelve years old, was found murdered last night. An Amber alert was put out at 10 pm after Mike did not return home. His body was discovered an hour later heavily mutilated a short while from his house. Police have no suspects at this time. Grief counselors will be the boy's school..."_

The TV was blaring loudly. Too loudly.

I stared at my waffle until it completely absorbed the syrup. My appetite was gone. I had hated Mike. He had hurt me. But not enough for him to die. Death was...I pushed the mushy waffle from me and Renee starred.

"Honey, do you want me to wash that sweater?" she asked, and I frowned. I hadn't taken it off. It was my safety blanket.

"I need it today.." I whispered, and she nodded. Somehow, she understood.

Charlie picked me up for school, looking very sleep deprived and bothered. I sat down in the seat next to him, and could feel his unease. He drove in silence, his mouth fixed in a thin line. He must have been extremely stressed.

"Dad...I love you." I said quietly. And suddenly, he was at ease. His muscles relaxed, and his hand ruffled my lamb hood softly. His love for me was great, but he was never one for words. I was like him. I knew he loved me more than anyone, and I knew he'd never move on after my mother. We pulled up to the school to see countless news stations vans. The anchormen and woman looked like vultures, and once they saw the cruiser, they began to crowd. My dad exited first, opening my door for me and leading me to the front door. I barley said goodbye before they began to shout questions.

I walked to my classroom in silence, and the atmosphere was thick. No one looked at me when I entered the classroom, and all eyes were on Carlisle who was talking in front.

"Now, Mike was a good boy. He didn't deserve what happened to him, and the police will catch whoever did this to him. He will be brought to justice." Carlisle said, and I took my seat in the corner.

"I hope the cops don't find them. I hope someone else finds the person and blows there head off." a boy yelled from the back, and a murmur of agreement went through the classroom.

"Two wrongs don't make a right." Carlisle lectured, trying to meet all of our eyes. I was heavily focused on the spider crawling across my desktop.  
"If we find him, we can carry out a punishment in a lawful way that will make him pay more than if we just killed him."

The spider stopped in the center of the desk, and I watched it closely. I wondered if it could sense the danger. If it could sense how easily I could crush it with my finger. I wondered if the spider could even feel fear. A white hand appeared over the spider, and I squeaked out a quick 'No!' before the hand came down on the spider. I looked up to meet Carlise's probing eyes, and looked down again quickly.

"Don't kill it.." I said softly, and the hand went away from the spider. I looked into Carlisle's eyes again, and saw an emotion I didn't expect. Understanding. But other than that, he looked just as exhausted as my dad.

"Mr. Cullen. I was wondering if I could talk to you again soon." I said quietly, once again looking down. I didn't tell him I needed to talk about the guilt I felt, or that I was the last one who saw Mike before he was murdered.

"Bella..I'm really busy.." he started, and I snapped my eyes shut. Of course he didn't have time to talk to me. Who would want to talk to me?  
"But maybe Friday afternoon."

Tomorrow? Could this weight in my chest wait until tomorrow? I looked down to see the spider, only to find it was gone. I felt my hood being pulled down, and a hand pat my head gently. I looked to see the spider was in Carlisle's other hand, and a smile on his face. He walked out the door, and released the spider.

The day was spent mostly explaining Mike's death, and the teachers didn't make us do any work. They told us that we all grieve in our own ways, and that some of us would cry, while some of us would hold in in.

The end of the day came as a relief, and I walked up to my teacher to ask to use the phone. It rang twice before my mom picked up, her voice slurred slightly, and husky with a lust I didn't know.

"Hellooo?" she asked

"Mom? I was wondering if I could go to the library today?" I asked.

"Yeah yeah, sure." she paused, reasoning coming back to her.  
"But only there Isabella. And call me or Charlie for a ride home." she said speedily. She must have been waiting for her date.

"Okay mom...I love you."

"Bye." she rushed.

I thanked my teacher before running out the doors of the school, and to the park. No one was outside, and the wind blew in a lonely howl through the empty streets. I arrived at the park to see no Edward again. I needed him today.

"Edward." I called softly, and I was only met with the wind's howl. I blushed, imagining how stupid I must have looked. I quickly turned to leave, only to see Edward smiling at me. His sweater had specks of brown on it, and looked significantly more dirty than it did the day before. However, Edward looked great. The dark circles under his eyes were almost non existent, and his pale skin glowed. His red eyes were even more pronounced.

"Edward. Why are your eyes red?" I asked, hoping he'd reply my question. His smile dissipated, and he stared at me with a hint of sadness.  
"Were you born like that?" I tried again.

"Yeah. I was born like this." he said quietly, and looked down from me. I frowned.  
"Does it scare you?" he asked.

I stepped forward, and encircled my arms around him, and he did the same. We held each other tightly.  
"You can't scare me away." I whispered, and he held me even tighter. I leaned into his sweater, and inhaled his scent. He smelled like blood. I didn't bring it up.

We both made out way to the swings, and gently pumped out legs, I looked to the sky watching as I got closer and farther over and over again.

"Mike died yesterday." I said quietly, ignoring how Edward snapped his head to me.

"Mike was a bad kid." Edward stated simply.  
"Aren't you happy he's gone?"

I shrugged, and looked to the dirt on the ground. Soon it would snow. The weather was getting colder and colder by the day.  
"He was mean, but I don't know. I keep thinking how scared he must have been."

Edwards feet dragged in the dirt beneath his swing, hard enough to make holes in the ground. He ;looked over at me with caution. I raised an eyebrow, and stared back at him. He quickly looked away.

"I don't think he was scared. I think someone killed him quickly." Edward said, not meeting my eye. I looked down at my feet, and closed my eyes.

"Edward, what's the point of living?" I whispered, and I heard footsteps slowly come to me. His icy hands gripped mine, and I looked up to see his red eyes. He smiled at me, a sad smile.

"Is that what you think about Bella? You think about death?" he asked. I nodded.

"I don't want to die. I don't know what happens when you die." I said, voice shaking. I felt his arms circle around me, and he laid a gentle kiss on my cheek. I blushed furiously, and looked into his eyes.

"Death is like...When you sleep but don't dream. It's nothing, not even black. It's the lack of something...." he trailed off, and held me tighter.  
"But you won't have to worry about it. I'll never let you die."

I felt tears run down my cheeks, and a cold hand guided my face to Edwards lips. He kissed me softly, and I felt a spark of something, something pure.

"I love you Bella. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you." he whispered. My heart was pumping fast, and the blush on my cheeks grew even more.

"I love you too Edward."

We held each other for a few moments before I told him I had to go to the library. He insisted on walking me, and I agreed. We walked together hand in hand through the empty streets, until I got to the library. He kissed me on the cheek, and left me tingling with sensations I never knew existed before. I went into the library, and phoned Charlie, who was grateful for a reason to leave the office. He told me ten minutes. I went and waited outside, sitting on a bench swinging my legs for Charlie. A high school aged boy sat next to me, smiling as he looked me up and down.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to be outside alone, little girl?" the long blond haired man asked, and he scooted closer. I stopped swinging my legs and looked at him curiously.

"I'm waiting for my dad." I said softly, a bubble of fear forming in me. The man laughed, and extended his hand to me. I ignored it.

"I'm James. Why don't we both wait for your daddy in the Laundry mat? It's warm in there, and I think he'll be mad that you're waiting out here alone."

Charlie probably would be mad at me for waiting outside, as he was working on the case with the killer. He knew what could go wrong.

"Okay." I said, and got up. He followed behind me.

We entered the building to find it empty, which wasn't uncommon for the type of place in our small town. I turned to the man, only to feel an arm grabbing me, and dragging me to the bathroom. He threw me in, and I landed on my back with a thud. Things were moving too fast. I looked up to him, with betrayal in my eyes. He laughed, and blocked the exit, walking to me slowly.

"Do you know what can happen to little girls like you?" he asked, his voice sounding dirty. I breathed in a shaking breath, scrambling to get away from him.  
"Big bad men come and make them little women."

He leaned down to me on the ground, and yanked my backpack from my body. I started to cry, kicking a him as his hands ran down my body. His touch burned, and wasn't like Edwards. I wanted him gone.

"_EDWARD_!" I screamed, and he hit me in the stomach to get me to shut up. I wheezed, out of breath when I heard the door hit the ceramic tile of the bathroom with a crash. James looked over to see a deadly looking Edward, with fury in his eyes.

"What the fuck? Who the fuck are you?" James yelled, and got off of me. I scrambled to the backpack, and head a snap. I turned to see James on the ground, holding his bleeding head.

"Bella. Your dad is outside." Edward said quietly, and calmly. I stood there for a second, starring at him. He looked so small compared to James.  
"I'll be alright."

I ran out the door, and to Charlie's car without a second thought. My thoughts remained on Edward the whole drive home. I numbly thanked Charlie and made my way into the house quietly. There were two empty bottles of wine sitting on the counter, and I knew that meant I had to be quiet. Renee had been drinking again, and she demanded silence so she could sleep.

I couldn't do my homework. I couldn't even focus. I was shaking. I was numb. There was so much evil in the world. So much that I had to fear. I wanted to know if Edward was okay. I wanted to know if I would be okay. I heard the whining of ambulances, and police squad cars go by, and I knew something was wrong. I waited, looking out the window for hours. It had turned dark before I decided to call him again. I went to my window and called his name softly.

"_Edward"_

There was no reply. I turned around to see if maybe he was behind me, like he ended up being all the other times. He wasn't. I started to cry deeply, leaving my window open and walking to my bed. My body shook with sobs, and I cried for everything I had held in. I cried for my mom. I cried for Charlie. I cried for Mike. I cried for me. But mostly, I cried for Edward. Darkness took me, and I went to sleep. A sleep without a dream. A sleep where I was stuck in blackness, and it kept getting smaller and smaller.

"Bella." a voice whispered. Edward's voice. My eyes snapped open and I went to look to see him, but he covered my eyes with his hand. He was shaking.

"Don't look. I don't want you to be afraid." He said softly, and I put my fingers around his hand, trying to move it from my face.

"You can't scare me." I protested. He chuckled, and kissed my forehead softly. My heart fluttered.

"Promise?" he asked, and I nodded.

He uncovered my eyes to reveal the moonlight illuminating his figure. He was covered in blood, his sweater holding most of the mess. His hair was matted, and his chin and mouth covered. I couldn't tell if he was injured or not.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, and he nodded. I only then noticed how cold the room was, and shivered. He wrapped the blankets around me and smiled a sad smile.

"He was going to hurt you Bella. He was going to do bad things to you. He wanted to break you." he whispered, pulling me into a hug. I embraced his touch, and smiled at him.

"How do you know? It's not like you can read minds." I teased, but he only held me tighter.

"Bella...Don't think of me as a monster." he whispered, and I looked to his eyes in confusion.

" Why would I?" I asked. He frowned, but didn't reply.

"I love you Bella." he said.

" I loved you too Edward."

He held me until I fell asleep, my dreams no longer of darkness. My dreams were swirls of colors, only interrupted by the questions that probed my mind.

How did Edward get in my room? Who's blood was that? Why wasn't I afraid?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Please review. Please.**

I woke up to a completely quiet house. My window was still open, and I was shivering. I walked to the window, shutting it, and went to investigate the silence. There was no note left for me, just an empty silent house. I looked over to the clock in the kitchen, and saw it was 10:30. Too late for school.

I walked to the bathroom, and looked at myself in the mirror. There was blood on my cheek. It wasn't my blood. It wasn't Edward's blood. I ran to the toilet and vomited.

I turned the shower as hot as it would go and stepped in, letting the scalding water clean me. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about anything. I took off the soft cast, refusing to think of the incident that gave me the injury. I scrubbed my hair clean, admiring how soft it felt after I was finished. I exited the shower, to hear voices. Pulling on my dirty lamb sweater, and pulling the hood up, I exited the bathroom to see Charlie, Carlisle, Renee, and a few other officers there. They all stopped talking when I walked into the room. Not good.

I wasn't really listening when they spoke to me, as I could only hear the sound of my own heart beating in my ears. But from what I did catch, I understood that they found my hair in the Laundry mat bathroom. They also found a lot of blood. What they did not find, was the owner of that blood. There was no were here to question me. Since Charlie was my father, Carlisle was the one who did the questioning. We went to the basement, where we could be alone, so he could talk to me.

"Hi Bella." he said softly, and I didn't reply. I was upset he hadn't been able to make time for me yesterday. No one was reliable. No one but Edward. He noticed my cool attitude, and frowned.

"Bella, were you in the Laundry mat bathroom yesterday?" He asked evenly, no emotion in his voice. I snapped my eyes shut, but nodded.  
_  
James lustful eyes looked hungrily at me. "Do you know what can happen to little girls like you?" he asked, his voice sounding dirty._

"Bella, why were you in the bathroom yesterday?" he asked, but I kept my eyes shut.

_"Big bad men come and make them little women."_

"I just had to go to the bathroom." I lied. Carlisle froze, and I could feel his eyes trying to examine me closer, trying to figure me out.

"Are you trying to protect someone?" he asked. a hint of doubt in his voice. I opened my eyes, and looked at him.

"I have no one to protect."

Carlisle nodded, and rose quickly. He believed me.

"Wait." I called, and he stopped.

"How do you know if someone is good or evil?" I asked, blushing slightly. Carlisle gave me a hard look, sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"If they're evil, they will do bad things that only benefit them, without thinking about anyone else. If they are good, they do things selflessly, and think more about other people than there selves."

"Well. What if they are good, but sometimes do bad things?" I asked, and Carlisle laughed.

"Is this about your dad Charlie? Charlie is a good person. A cop is a good person who sometimes has to do bad things to catch bad people." he said, smiling. I smiled back, a fake smile, and layed back on the couch. Carlisle went upstairs.

Edward killed James because he had wanted to hurt me. He was going to hurt me. He did that for me. But he had still killed somebody. He was guilty. But Edward was the only person who cared about me. He was the only one who was there for me, and he did save me.

I couldn't turn him in. I loved him.

I walked back up the stairs to see everyone leaving. I grabbed Renee's hand, and she spun to me, with tears in her eyes.  
"Where are you going?" I asked. She looked to make sure everyone was gone, before turning to me.

"I am stressed out Bella. I'm going to Phil's, because I can't have him here because of someone. I left the number on the fridge, call if you need me."

I let go of her hand, and stepped back. I couldn't comprehend how selfish she was being. She was suppose to be the mother, suppose to be here to help me. She was complete oblivious to me pain. I watched her leave, and a numb feeling settled over me.

I walked to the living room and collapsed on the couch. I closed my eyes and begged for sleep.

--

When I woke, it was about 3pm. I got up, and walked to the kitchen. I was startled to hear a knocking,and went to the door cautiously.

"Who is it?" I yelled, and I heard a chuckle on the other side.

"It's the big bad lion."

I flung open the door, to see a very bloody Edward starring at me. We both stared at each other for a long moment. I waved him in, knowing that the road had been chosen since the first day I had met him.

"You need a bath." I said, and he let out another heartwarming laugh. I walked him to the bathroom, an ran the hot water. Squirting some bubbles in, I let the water foam up high. He needed the soap.

"Bella." a voice called, and I turned to Edward slowly.  
"I don't have clothes to change into." he said softly. I turned off the bath water, and ran up to my room. Charlie often bought me unisex pajamas and I quickly changed into a pair so we would match. I walked down stairs, and into the bathroom to see Edward had already undressed, and went into the bath.

I blushed deeply. He chuckled.

I watched in fascination as he eyes lit up to the bubbles, his dirty hands cupping some, so he could inspect them closer.

"Have you never seen bubbles before?" I asked, giggling softly. He looked to me with playfulness in his eyes. I felt my heart melt.

"I haven't played with bubbles in a long time." he said, and it held an odd sort of sadness to it. I picked up a handful of the bubbly foam, and blew it at his face. He laughed, and blew some back at me, getting it all over my hair.

This went on until almost all of the bubbles were gone. I was as red as a tomato when I realized it. I grabbed him a washcloth and pointed to the shampoo and conditioner, before excusing myself to wash our lion and lamb sweaters together.

I sprayed a whole lot of stain remover on Edward's sweater, hoping it would get some of the blood out. I dumped in twice the recommended amount of soap, and put the washer on high.

When I walked back up the stairs, Edward was fully dressed. He looked at the brown bath water, frowning. I pulled the plug and grabbed his hand, and he smiled at me.

A clean Edward looked a whole lot better than a filthy one. His copper hair glew in the light, and I had never seen it shine as much as it did. His pale skin was spotless, his dark circles returning slowly, but not as pronounced as the first day I had met him. Edward was very thin, and though he held some muscle, something tell me he didn't eat as often as he should have.

The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Edward hand was still cold.

I led him to the living room, and we sat on the couch starring at each other. I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Edward, are you a good person?" I asked softly, and I saw him tense.

"I try to be... I only do things to bad people." he said softly. I felt him lean closer, and wrap his arms around me. I hadn't realized I was shaking.

"So James.." I started, and he nodded. I closed my eyes, and a thought crossed my mind. No.  
"..And Mike..."

I opened my eyes to see Edwards looking at me with guilt. He nodded, and I noticed his pale skin was even more drained then before.

"What.. what are you?"

I watched as Edward's hands went into his hair, and his eyes shut. He looked so defenseless, so vulnerable. At that moment, he looked as young as me.

"I don't know what I am." he said quietly, in a shaky breath. I gently took his hands from his face, and wrapped my arms around him. He did that same to me. I leaned forward, grazing my lips across his. He kissed me back with a gentle nature.

"I don't care what you are. Just don't leave me." I begged, and he held me tight to his chest.

"I'll never leave you." he whispered.  
He layed back slowly, and I layed my head on his chest. I expected the soft tune of his heart beat, but I was met with none. Even his breaths were taken with long spaces in between, like he didn't need them. The noise from the woods, the growling from the night Mike died, was Edward.

He wasn't human.

I slowly released myself from Edward's grip, and he looked at me questioningly. I smiled, and told him to meet me in my room. I ran downstairs to our sweaters, pulling them out, and throwing them into the dryer. I went back upstairs to see Edward looking out the window, frowning.

"Bella, do you love me?" he asked. I nodded, and he frowned.

"Why do you love me?" he asked, and I felt my eyebrows furrow.

"Why? You are the only one who looks at me. You are the only one who thinks about me. I mean, My mom thinks about me, but she thinks about herself first. Charlie wants to think about me, but he thinks about work first. All of the other kids don't like me...they tell me to grow up. No one loves me, and no one will ever love me."

"Bella. I love you. And I don't want you to change. I want you to stay the same forever." he said softly. I leaned into him, inhaling his clean scent. He wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me neck gently. He led me to my bed, and I crawled under the covers. He layed on top of the covers, and looked at me with pain in his eyes.

"Bella. They're going to find me." he stated, and his hand swooped a long strand of hair away from my eye.

"No. We we won't let them find you. We can run." I said, fear filling me. A cold hand rested on my cheek, and I calmed a bit.

"Will you run with me?" he whispered. I only nodded. We sat in silence, wrapped up in our own thoughts for a couple minutes. I could feel sleep approaching me, and I lifted my head to look at Edward.

"Do you want to go to sleep now?"

He frowned, and looked down.  
"I can never go to sleep." he paused, as I tried to take it in. " But I can sit here quietly until you wake."

I closed my eyes, sleep calling me.

"I'm going to have to buy you some toys." I mumbled, and darkness took me whilst he was chuckling.

--

I woke up to see Edward looking very confused. I leaned up to see what he was looking at, before laughing.  
"What are you doing?" I asked, a knowing smile written on my face.

Edward was holding my MP3 player, but he was holding it an arms length away, with the headphones another 5 feet away. He looked up at me with wide eyes, like a kid caught with sweets before dinner.

"I like it. But it's too loud. It hurts my ears." he said.

I tried to focus intently, but I heard no music.  
"I don't hear anything."

He laughed, and turned it off.  
"I have good hearing I guess."

Then I noticed how bright the room was. I ran to the window to see a small amount of snow on the ground. Looking to the driveway, I saw Renee wasn't home. Still. Edward walked next to me, looking at the snow with equally bright eyes.

"Bella..You have to go to school." he said, and I looked over to the clock to see he was right. He sat on my bed as I ran downstairs to get out sweaters from the dryer. Edwards still had a few stains but was far better than before. I threw my sweater on, admiring the ease it returned to me. Running back upstairs, I saw a wide eyed Edward looking out the window. I gave him his sweater, which he threw on at lightning speed. Going to the window, I saw a car. I heard a knock at the front door, so I gathered my stuff, and hugged Edward goodbye.

"Will you be here when I get home?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Just call my name if I'm not."

Going to the front door, I met Carlisle, and I stood there in shock for a second. He inhaled a deep breath, and then froze. He looked odd, and beckoned me to the car, rushing me slightly. I was extremely confused. We got in the car, and he locked the doors, looking at me seriously.

"Bella. You're going to tell me who you were just with, because I know they did these crimes."

I furrowed my brows and looked at him, as he took a deep breath. Was he smelling me?


End file.
